Compound for time burning railway signal-fusees.



UNITED STATES PATENT {OFFICE LOUIS S. ROSS, OF NEWTONVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS.

COMPOUND FOR TIME BURNING RAILWAY SIGNAL-FUSEES.

No Drawing.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 5, 1912.

Application filed December 7, 1911. Serial No. 664,387.

tions to which said railway fusees are neces' sarily subjected.

In most compositions for railway signal fusees produced prior to my invention there have been certain recognized characteristics of the ingredients constituting the fusees that rendered the latter extremely susceptible to spontaneous ignition, particularly in the presence of heat or moisture.

The railways of the United States for a number of years past have maintained a Bureau for the Safe Transportation of E-Xplo' sires and Other Dangerous Articles. This bureau employs chemists to investigate questions relating to the manufacture of exploslves and other dangerous articles, and from time to time makes regulations and issues specifications prescribing the inherent,

characteristics of time burning railway signal fusees. These regulat ons must be passed upon and approved by the Interstate Comnierce Commission to render them legally binding and effective. In accordance with the requirements of the said bureau, railway signal fusees comprise a paper tube of heavy, tough fiber, in which the composition packed, carrying at one end a spike adapted to penetrate the railroad ties or bed and having at its opposite end means for igniting the fusee. Railway signal. fusees are usually thrown from the rear of a moving train and are necessarily therefore subjected to rough usage. It is therefore necessary to have the paper tube of suificient.

strength to withstand this usage without breakage. These fusee paper tubes are therefore made-of heavy, tough fiber, as stated, and the railroads require that the finished fuses must. stand a weight of sixty pounds at its center when supported at its ends. In v order to produce an effective railway .signal,

it is imperat-ivethat the composition be of such character that. the Wall of "the paper tube be consumed uniformly with the combustion of the composition, in orderto prevent the format-ion of what is technically termed a chimney, since a chimney will obstruct and-obscure the light produced by the composition to such an extent that it cannot be seen efiectively from 'a d1stance,

and the fusee will therefore fail in its intended purpose. One of the tests of the said bureau is that the fusee after burning thirty seconds in air must burn not less than five minutes when completely submerged in water. It is further required by the said bureau that the fusee must burn a prede-. termined specified length of time. It must burn with brilliancy and force of flame and it must burn under either favorable or unfa "orable weather conditions. In other words, the railway signal fusee must burnin strong winds or storms or even in pools of water or .snowbanks. By reason of the necessity of burning the tube in uniformity with the burning of the composition, and also of the necessity that the composition burn with force and brilliancy, all successful compositions for railway signal fusees heretofore employed have contained sulfur and potassium chlorate as fundamental ingredients with the single exception that perchlorate of potassium has been substituted for potassium chlorate in a composition containing sulfur.

F or many years it has been known that time burning railway signal fusees containing sulfur and potassium chlorate as heretofore combined were subject to spontaneous ignition and combustion. due to climatic conditions of heat and moisture, because of the presence of'said ingredients in the composition, and attempts have been made for many years by railway chemists and others to overcome this serious defect. Such spontaneous ignition has been attributed to the production by sulfur in the presence of heat and moisture of sulfurous and sulfuric acids, which in the-presence of potassium chlorate decompose the latter and generate chlorin peroxid. The formation of sulfuric acid from sulfur requires the presence of oxygen, which is readily obtained in the breaking up of the potassium chlorate, whereby heat is generated, accelerating and helping to continue the reaction until a condition is reached that produces sponta icons coinbustionQ The so-called chlorate time burning rail way signal fusee is composed of chlorate,

sulfur, carbohydrate and metallic nitrate in suitable proportions.

The somewhat greater br lliancy of the perchlorate fusee is caused by the increasedoxidizing power of the perchlorate of potassium. Perchlorate of potassium differs from chlorate of potassiumonly in. that it contains, an'added atom of oxygen.' This added atom of oxygen with itsincreased oxidizingpower causes a flame which approaches incandes,

of time that is within certain specified limits.

For example, a ten minute fusee must burn not less'than ten minutes, nor more than twelve minutes.

Because of the known susceptibility of .a chlorate fusee to spontaneous ignition, I have conducted a long series of experiments and tests under commercial conditions to produce a time burning railway signal fusee notsubject to spontaneous ignition and combustionv and from which the perchlorate is eliminated, but containing both sulfur and chlorate the presence of which in the chlorate fusee has heretofore produced the tendency to spontaneous ignition, such fusee also preferably containing a suitable carbohydrate and a suitable nitrate. I have succeeded as theresult of such experiments and tests in producing a vchlorate fusee which possesses all the advantages of the chlorate fusee and is not subject to spontaneous ignition. I

In accordance with my invention, I preferably provide, as customary in the so-called chlorate fusee, a suitable mixture of chlorate of potassium, sulfur, a carbohydrate and a metallic nitrate. The chlorate of potassium is used to furnish the principal supply of oxygen, the sulfur mainly to increase combustion, the carbohydrate furnishes carbon and hydrogen to aid combustion and to smooth and deepen the flame, and the m trate of strontium, barium or sodium constitutes the base or coloring ingredient. Moreover the sulfur is needed to causev the burning of the tube evenly with the composition, that is, to prevent the formation of a chimney. The proportions of these ingredients maybe varied Within certain limits, but

those preferredby me are as follows chlorate 13 to about 19 parts, sulfur 10 to 16 parts, carbohydrate 5 to 10 parts, metallic nitrate to 72 parts. To these ingredients I add, in accordance with my invention, prefera'bly in a powdered condition, a small quantity of carbonate and preferably calcium carbonate. Preferably the carbonate constitutes about two parts or per cent. of the entire mixture, and should not, for best results, constitutemore than four or five per cent. of the entire composition, as in greater quantities it tends toretard or may mate rially or wholly prevent combustion. This ingredient i'sadded mechanically to the other ingredients of the composition at any stage in the mixing thereof or may be added to the other ingredients after they have been sioned by the presence of sulfur and chlorate in the so-called chlorate fusee and thus wholly prevents spontaneous ignition:

Time burning railway signal fusees constructed in accordance with invention have been tested by subjecting them to av temperature of boiling water in the presence of moisture for forty-eight hours, and have successfully stood said test and have also been successfully used under commercial conditionsafter a sufficient period of time following manufacture indisputably to establish the fact that the railway fusee constituting my invention is not subject to spontaneous ignition and combustion.

The time burning railway signal fusee constituting my invention combines all the advantages of the chlorate fusee and of the perchlorate fusee without the disadvantages 1 of either. It has been approved by the Bureau for the Safe Transportation of Explosives and Other Dangerous Articles to which I have referred, because it eliminates the susceptibility or tendency toward spontaneous ignition and combustion characteristic of the said chlorate fusee.

I The carbonaceous material heretofore customarily employed in the manufacture of the so-ealled chlorate fusee has been composed of charcoal, red gum, sawdust and petroleum grease in suitable proportions, and preferably substantially as follows -red gum 1 to 3%, charcoal 1 to 3%,sawdust and grease 3 to 4%. I have ascertained, as the resultof my tests and experiments that the red gum is objectionable, owing to its high acid producing qualities and have accordingly substituted preferably a substantially equal amount of rosin therefor. During my said tests and experiments, I encountered great diliiculty in arriving atthe proper quantity of calcium carbonate tobe combined with the \er ingredients, and particularly with the sulfur and chlorate of potassium, fully to neutralize any acid, as hereinbefore set forth, and therefore fully to prevent spontaneous ignition and combustion, while at the some time securing the even burning of the composition and the tube. 'In other words, my said tests and experiments seemed to show that while the addition of calcium carbonate tended to prevent spontaneous ignition, due to the presence of sulfur ail chlorate of potassium, yet when added in quantity then considered necessary fully to prevent the same, the calcium carbonate not only retarded combustion but also caused chimneying of the tube. 1 have however finally succeeded in addin or supplying a suiiicient quantity of ca cium or other suitable carbonate to a composition containing sulfur and chlorate of potassium fully to prevent spontaneous ignition or combustion while at the same time securing perfect and unretarded combustion of the preventing chimneying. I have tr ee anu iscovered that, under identical conditions, 3y using calcium or other suitable carbonate l can safely vary the proportions of the other ingredients through a wider range anc yet secure a thoroughly effective and comnie ciully satisfactory fusee, than is possihle when the calcium or other carbonate is not used. Thus, by employing calcium carbonate, it is possible for me to make a commercially satisfactory and thoroughly efiicient fuses more cheaply than heretofore. In other words, the calcium carbonate constitutes the element of safety, the presence of which permits greater variation than heretofore in the other ingredients. Preferably, when I add or supply calcium or other carbonate, which is a combustion retarder, I add a slight and generally a correspondingly increased amount of combustion producing ingredients, that is, sulfur and chlorate of potassium, over that employed under identical conditions of manuthe addition of calcium The -.fi ames of the chlofacture, but without or other carbonate.

rate fusee and calcium carbonate fusee are identical in color, there being no tendency to incandescence in the flames of the latter.

Having thus described one embodiment of my invention and the best manner known to me for carrying the same into effect, I desire it to be understood that the scope of the invention is set forth in the following claims: I

1. A time burning railway signal fusee comprising a metallic nitrate, sulfur, a carbohydrate, chlorate of potassium and a small quantity of carbonate, producing a time burning railway signal fusee compound burning with brilliancy and force of flame for the purpose stated, and which is not subject to spontaneous ignition.

2. A time burning railway signal fusee comprising a metallic nitrate, sulfur, a carbohydrate, chlorate of potassium, and a small quantity of calcium carbonate, pro ducing a time burning railway signal fusee compound burning with brilliancy and force of flame for the purpose described, and which is not subject to spontaneous combustion.

3. A time burning railway signal fusee comprising a metallic nitrate, sulfur, a carbohydrate and chlorate of potassium, and an ingredient mixed therewith and constituting a neutralizing agent to the acid reaction of the sulfur and chlorate of potassium, said fusee compound burning withbrilliancy and force of flame for the purposedescribed and not subject to spontaneous combustion.

4. A time burning railway signal fusee containing sulfur, chlorate of otassium and a percentage of acid-neutralizing caibonate less than the sulfur and insufficient in quantity to retard combustion.

5. A time burning railway signal fuses including sulfur, chlorate of potassium, a metallic nitrate and a small percentage of acid-neutralizing carbonate,said fusee burning with brilliancy and force of flame and not subject to spontaneous combustion.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. v

LOUIS s. oss

Witnesses:

ROBERT H. KAMMLER, IRVING U. Townsnnn.

Eagles of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

